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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27810793">step on the elevator</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessJaqulineChess1031/pseuds/PrincessJaqulineChess1031'>PrincessJaqulineChess1031</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grey's Anatomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Afterlife, Airplane Crashes, Character Death, Childbirth, F/M, Friendship, Gun Violence, Hospitals, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, One Shot, Romance, Second Chances, Surgery, Trauma Surgery</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:07:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,241</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27810793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessJaqulineChess1031/pseuds/PrincessJaqulineChess1031</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The elevator door opened, and there stood Izzie in her prom dress. She looked beautiful, like cancer had never touched her, like she had never been afraid in her life.<br/>George and her just stared for a long moment, but after a moment Izzie frowned. She knew something he didn’t.</p>
<p>“Going up?” Izzie asked. George furrowed his brow and Izzie gave a sad, tearful smile. George tried to take one step forward, to comfort her, to give her a hug or something that would wipe away the new pain etched on her face. </p>
<p>“No, you’re not,” Izzie decided for him. She reached for a button, and the doors started to shut. “I’m sorry George. I love you. Tell Alex I’m sorry, and that I love him. Always love him.”</p>
<p>And then the elevator door was shut, and George felt the pull in his stomach. He knew what this was now. He felt a tear collect but then there was an explosion of bright light before it could fall. </p>
<p>Or rather, the life George O'Malley could have had.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev, April Kepner/George O'Malley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>step on the elevator</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Trigger Warnings: Character Death, Afterlife Mention, Religious Discussions, Medical Traumas, Trauma Surgery, Childbirth, Surgery, Gun Violence, Plane Crash<br/>If I missed any triggers, please let me know and I will tag them accordingly.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>George was surgeon. He knew what it meant when they said one second could cost a patient everything, one mistake and a happy family is torn apart. George had ruined his marriage with one mistake. Too much to drink and then he went and ruined a perfectly good life. Broke Callie’s heart. All for one mistake.</p>
<p>But still, something about it still felt abstract. All of that had always been something he had been prepared for. George knew that they couldn’t save anyone. They taught them that on the first day of medical school and they said it over and over again until it was tattooed on their brain. It wasn’t something a doctor ever forgot.</p>
<p>And with Callie…. George and her had both known something was wrong long before Izzie. There wasn’t a name to it, to their dysfunctional excuse for a marriage, and Izzie had been the straw that broke the camel’s back. It had been a mistake he made that ruined everything, but a mistake both him and Callie had seen coming. It was a matter of when before they went below the waves and their marriage drowned.</p>
<p>But still. George understood what it was never as personally as he did when he grabbed that woman and saw the bus heading towards him. Before everything went black, he didn’t feel a single regret.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“Hello? Sir? Can you tell me your name?”</p>
<p>George’s vision was blurry and black around the edges. His whole body felt drenched in fire but also ice cold, and everything felt so bright and scary.</p>
<p>But it was Meredith standing over him. Meredith. How-how did she not see him? How did she not recognize him?</p>
<p>He tried to speak, but nothing came out. His mouth wouldn’t even move. Nothing but his hand. He reached for Meredith’s hand, hoping against all hope that she would recognize what he was scribbling.</p>
<p>007</p>
<p>“Can you write that for me?”</p>
<p>“No, no, I can’t write Meredith,” George wanted to scream. Meredith was smarter than this. She knew he couldn’t hold anything and yet she gave him the pen anyway, and it fell right out not even a second later.</p>
<p>George couldn’t take her hand again, because then the doctors were yelling and his gurney was moving, and he disappeared into the maze of Seattle Grace. He shut his eyes and hoped they would figure it out.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>When he woke up again, everything felt dull. It was a dull, fiery, throbbing pain. It didn’t stop and George just wanted to sink down and let the pain consume him. But he couldn’t – he couldn’t until they knew. For his friends, for Izzie, for his mom. He couldn’t go out without his mom knowing.</p>
<p>Selfish though it was, a small part of him just wanted his mom.</p>
<p>Meredith was smiling at the edge of the bed, and he just focused on her. There was only so much he could handle. Only so much energy. Meredith walked toward his side and George took her hand again, and began the same pattern over and over again.</p>
<p>
  <em>007. 007. 007.</em>
</p>
<p>Come on, Meredith. Come on.</p>
<p>Her brow furrowed. “0..0..7? 007? What –”</p>
<p>Then the shock, surprise, and fear.</p>
<p>“Oh God! Oh God!” Meredith said, and she grabbed his hand and for the first time George felt maybe he might make it through. George hoped Meredith knew he was trying to smile at her.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>
  <em>The elevator door opened, and there stood Izzie in her prom dress. She looked beautiful, like cancer had never touched her, like she had never been afraid in her life. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>George and her just stared for a long moment, but after a moment Izzie frowned. She knew something he didn’t.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Going up?” Izzie asked. George furrowed his brow and Izzie gave a sad, tearful smile. George tried to take one step forward, to comfort her, to give her a hug or something that would wipe away the new pain etched on her face. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“No, you’re not,” Izzie decided for him. She reached for a button, and the doors started to shut. “I’m sorry George. I love you. Tell Alex I’m sorry, and that I love him. Always love him.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And then the elevator door was shut, and George felt the pull in his stomach. He knew what this was now. He felt a tear collect but then there was an explosion of bright light before it could fall. </em>
</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>George came in and out of consciousness for several days, never more than an hour. Derek was in and out the most, checking vitals and telling him what was wrong. The doctor in George told him to pay attention, to see how long this would be, what was wrong, but the man in George just wanted to go to sleep. Maybe if he slept and closed his eyes this would all be over.</p>
<p>Cristina and Meredith were in and out, he would see glimpses of them when he opened his eyes. They had wired his mouth shut, so he couldn’t speak, but he could at least smile at them. Meredith would take his hand and babble on about something. Her and Derek had gotten married while he was under. It made him smile the way her eyes lit up when she said it. Meredith deserved this.</p>
<p>Cristina just sat there, with that cold demeanor of hers. Cristina would complain about the interns. But still, her being there made him feel better.</p>
<p>Alex came once, standing in the corner, frowning. He didn’t say anything, just stared for a few minutes before he disappeared back out into the hallway.</p>
<p>Izzie never came by. He hadn’t expected otherwise. He just felt a calmness about it. He missed her.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“I’m telling you George,” Callie said, leaned back in the chair. “Things haven’t been the same since you’ve been here in this bed.”</p>
<p>George smiled and reached his arm out towards her. He still couldn’t move anything else; by some miracle his right arm hadn’t been broken – he hadn’t known how, it seemed to be the only thing that wasn’t broken. He could breathe on his own but he knew they were still watching his heart, it wasn’t quite where they wanted it to be. He had had a brain bleed but they caught it fast enough.</p>
<p>Once he had hated Derek Shepard for getting Meredith’s love, and then for breaking her heart, but now he was so glad that Derek Shepard had been born. He knew no one else could have pulled that off.</p>
<p>“When I tell you this new crop of interns still can’t tell up from down and an vein from a vessel,” Callie said, giving a low whistle. “Little Grey is just about the only saving grace.” George pointed out two fingers, the sign for agreement he had worked out.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think Little Grey might have the makings of another orthopedic surgeon,” Callie said. “She’s sweet, but she’s got some grit in her.”</p>
<p>George had broken Callie’s heart. Had turned her hope for a loving marriage into a nightmare that he had to put her through. George didn’t know how Callie had found it in herself to be here, comforting him.</p>
<p>He hoped he could talk soon. So he could thank her.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“Well, well, well,” Bailey said, coming in with a pair of metal cutters and a rare smile, “today’s the day, huh?” George gave the biggest smile he could under the circumstances.</p>
<p>“Now remember O’Malley,” Bailey instructed as she started to cut the pieces, “don’t be talking up a storm or eating Jolly Ranchers. Your jaw is going to need to still need some rest. It’s been shut for weeks and it’s going to need to do some readjusting.”</p>
<p>He felt pressure release, one in his mouth and the other from his whole body. Being able to talk again was the thing he needed the most. Oh, how much he taken that for granted. Not talking when he should have. Letting the silence pass when he should have let the words out.</p>
<p>Bailey took a step back, placing the pieces on the tray, and looked at him critically. She raised a brow as he began to move his jaw just a little, testing the boundaries.</p>
<p>“Well, O’Malley, normally I can’t keep you from talking,” Bailey said, “so you better have something to say now.”</p>
<p>George gave a dry laugh. “Dr. Bailey,” he said hoarsely, “I love you.”</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“Come on George, just a few steps more,” the physical therapist said. George grunted and put one foot forward, and he tried to say some rather creative words he had for the therapist. He just wanted to go back to his room and got back to sleep, his legs felt like their were on fire and each step felt like a jump over Mt. Everest.</p>
<p>“I know you want to kill me but come on, just one more,” they said, and George sucked in one final breath. He willed himself forward, hating himself and his legs and the stupid physical therapist and Callie for making him do this.</p>
<p>“That’s good,” they said, and George wanted to knock their teeth in.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>George missed the funeral, he didn’t have to be a genius to figure that out. They weren’t going to hold off the service just for him, and he wouldn’t want them to. But still, ever since they had told him Izzie had died they had avoided the subject ever since. George had expected it, after the elevator, but still no one would let him say one word about Izzie.</p>
<p>Meredith would talk about some new case or Cristina would clam up and run off, and all of the attendings wouldn’t even bother to talk about it, just ignored it completely. The only person who would ever want to talk about was Alex, and he never came in, not since that first day. He would just stare at Alex make a move like he was going to come him and then just walk away. After three weeks of this, Alex started appearing in scrubs, and George tried to will him forward. Tried to get him to come in the room.</p>
<p>And one day, he did. Alex walked in, a paper tucked in his hand, and he sat down next to him. Alex bit his lip and then reached out to hand him the paper.</p>
<p>“I-I thought y-you may want one,” Alex said, “since you couldn’t go.”</p>
<p>George’s breath hitched. And there she was, pictured like she was before she got sick. Hair golden and down, smiling a cheery smile and red cheeks. Underneath it, the inscription was written in loopy script, similar to Izzie’s handwriting.</p>
<p>
  <em>Isobel Stevens</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>1980-2006</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Daughter of Robbie Stevens, </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wife of Alex Karev,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Fiancée of Denny Duquette, deceased</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Person’ of George O’Malley</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yea, <strong>though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death</strong>, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4</em>
</p>
<p>George hadn’t expected his name to be on the program. They had been close, but they hadn’t been family. Not legally, not by blood, not by all the stuff the law called important. But to be called ‘person’… Meredith must have taken over making the program. Izzie’s mother was helpless, and Alex had probably been too upset. He had felt more loved than he ever had, and he never felt more hollow from the loss Izzie.</p>
<p>George brought it too his chest and turned to Alex, feeling tears start to build.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Alex,” George said. Alex gave a twist of a smile, but it was gone before it was even there. Alex got up to leave but he reached out to Alex, grabbing his arm.</p>
<p>“I saw her,” George said. “When I flatlined? I saw her, there was this elevator or something. And-and she asked me if I was coming with her, but then she told me I wasn’t going to. And then she was gone. Bef-before she left, she told me to tell you she’s sorry. And that she loves you. That she’ll always love you.”</p>
<p>Alex sucked in a breath and blinked, but then he nodded, a thin trail of a tear tracing down his cheek. Then, without a word, he got up and left.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“You realize I just got out of the hospital, right?” George said at the kitchen table, pair of crutches propped up on the chair beside him. Lexi rolled her eyes and set a glass of orange juice down in front of him. “And now I have to worry about getting <em>fired?” </em></p>
<p>“Oh please,” Alex said from the island, stuffing an egg and ham sandwich in his mouth, “like they’re going to fire the dude that just almost got ran over a bus. I’m telling you O’Malley, you’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, well, how about the guy who failed the intern exam and is only halfway done with second year residency?” George asked. Alex paused and then shrugged.</p>
<p>“Fair point there,” Alex said, and George groaned.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>George wasn’t there for the actual merger day, he wasn’t cleared to come back to work until a week later. When he entered the resident’s locker room (which was way nicer than the interns had been, he still couldn’t get used to it), it took him by surprise when he didn’t recognize anyone.</p>
<p>Their were strange stares as he walked to his locker/cubby hole, and he tried to ignore how Izzie’s was now full of someone else’s stuff. The locker next to him seemed to belong to a tall man with green eyes and handsome brown skin, and George quivered a bit under his look. George pulled off his jacket and put on his scrub shirt, and then reached out to the man, who was tying his shoes.</p>
<p>“Hi, I’m George O’Malley,” George said, and the man slowly reached out to take his hand, skeptical.</p>
<p>“Jackson Avery,” the man said, and then looked back down at his shoes. George gulped and tried to ignore the slight insult to his pride.</p>
<p>“Are you from Mercy West?” George asked, and Jackson popped up, seemingly off-put by Geroge.</p>
<p>“Look, man, I’m not sure what kind of game you’re playing, but –”</p>
<p>“Game?”</p>
<p>“—I don’t play the fake nice thing. I’m not gonna steal your surgeries or whatever.”</p>
<p>A young woman appeared at Jackson’s side, with dark eyes and mousy brown hair. Unlike Jackson, she was smiling and willingly stuck out a hand to greet him.</p>
<p>“I’m April Kepner,” April said. George took her hand and April shook it with all the vigor of an excited puppy. “I’m from Mercy West. You must be George O’Malley, right? I was told you’d be coming back today!”</p>
<p>George blinked and tried to take in all April said, because she said it so quickly he wasn’t sure she once breathed.</p>
<p>“Oh, uh, hi,” George said. “Yeah, I’m George. It’s nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>“O’Malley!” Arizona said, popping her head into the resident’s lounge. “How about some excitement on your first day back!? You’re on my service today, so come on, let’s go save some tiny humans!”</p>
<p>George gave Jackson and April (mostly April) a regretful smile and went to follow to follow Arizona.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“Owen!” O’Malley called from Trauma 1. “I need some help over here!”</p>
<p>George’s hand blocked the wound in his patient’s chest, and he cursed his idiot best friend that had pulled the pickaxe out instead of letting it block the blood. The patient was unconscious, thank God, but they had already lost so much blood. There shoulder had been popped out of socket somewhere in transport from whatever mountain they found him on, and his breathing was getting more labored the longer they stood here.</p>
<p>Instead of Owen, April appeared at George’s side.</p>
<p>“Owen’s on his way,” April said, slipping new gloves on. “I’m here now though, so what we got?”</p>
<p>“BP’s dropping,” George said. “Shoulder is out of socket, page Ortho—” he turned to the intern in the corner, “—and hurry!” George pushed down harder on the wound and reached for a trach. He handed it to April and nodded. “I think the axe might have popped a lung, so we might need Cardio, he’s having trouble breathing so keep a trach on stand-by.”</p>
<p>The patient’s eyes popped awake and he started to struggle to get up.</p>
<p>“Whoa, whoa!” George said, trying to hold him down with April. “Sir, I’m going to need you to remain calm, we’re doctors and we need you to remain calm, we’re trying to help.”</p>
<p>The man continued to struggle and April finally gave a large sigh and gave on final push to keep him down.</p>
<p>“Look, look, look at me,” April said. “My name is April, okay, what’s yours?”</p>
<p>The patient hesitated for a moment, and then started to stammer. “T-Thomas.”</p>
<p>April smiled. “Well, okay, Thomas, this is my colleague Dr O’Malley, okay? And we’re going to do everything we can to help you? You’ve sustained a lot of internal damage, so we’re going to need you to stay calm and remain still.”</p>
<p>Thomas shuddered once and looked up at April with wide eyes.</p>
<p>“Can you do that for me, okay?” April asked. “Just remain still.”</p>
<p>Thomas nodded just as Owen came in and started barking out orders, and they all flew into action. April disappeared off to surgery with Thomas, and Owen pointed George over to another patient. The day passed, and George didn’t think about April again until later, when he saw her leaving the resident’s lounge to leave for the day.</p>
<p>“April!” George greeted, and April smiled back at him.</p>
<p>“Hey George,” April said. George nodded at the bag and coat in her hand.</p>
<p>“You headed out for the night?” George asked and April nodded.</p>
<p>“Oh, uh, yeah,” April said. “I have, uh, bi-bible study.” April cringed at her words, like George expected her to say something but George merely nodded.</p>
<p>“Oh, cool,” George said. “I used to go to one, back in college, I fell out of the habit once I got into medical school. Just ran out of time, you know.” April blinked in surprise. George didn’t know where he stood with religion, he knew he believed in something, a higher power, but it had been so long since he had been connected to a faith.</p>
<p>“Do-do you want to come with me?” April said. George thought about it for just a second, thinking it might be fun, but then shook his head.</p>
<p>“Yeah, uh, maybe next time,” George said. “But, uh, I just wanted to compliment you. On how you handled Thomas. You, uh, really connected with him.”</p>
<p>April twirled a strand of her hair absentmindedly. “Oh, uh, thanks.”</p>
<p>George looked down at his watch. “I, uh, actually have to meet Cristian and Mer in a bit, so, I should get changed, but uh, see you tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“See you tomorrow,” April said, and turned away. George watched her for just a moment but then shook his head and went into the resident’s lounge to change.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>George prayed for the first time in a long time. He supposed maybe it was a bad time to suddenly come into faith when a gun is pointed at your face, but he hoped it counted for something.</p>
<p>George raised his hands to signal he wasn’t going to do anything as he stared at the man trying to shoot him. All George could do was whisper over and over again in his head, <em>Dear God please keep the patients safe, please keep the patients safe, please –”</em></p>
<p>He stood on the staircase, one foot on one and one on another.</p>
<p>“Sir, I’m sure –”</p>
<p>“Where is Dr. Shepard?” the man asked, and George gulped. Fear tightened in his stomach and he tried not to let the silence of the hospital overpower him. George stammered, his survival instincts and loyalty colliding.</p>
<p>
  <em>Dear God, please keep the patients safe, please keep the patients safe,</em>
</p>
<p>“Where is Dr. Shepard?!” the man demanded.</p>
<p>“I don’t know!” George said. The man growled and placed his finger on the trigger.</p>
<p>“Not good enough.” And then there was a shot, pain in his shoulder, and then everything went black.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“Dr. O’Malley, can you please tell me what it was like in the shooting?”</p>
<p>O’Malley blinked from all the lights of the production crew and looked at the director with a frown. The director was a scrawny man with dark gasses and a giant binder, and always had a tall woman following him around with coffee.</p>
<p>“Well, uh, it wasn’t fun, that’s for sure,” George said. The director pursed his lips, apparently not amused by George’s weak attempt at a joke.</p>
<p>“You were shot, right?” the director asked. George gulped.</p>
<p>“Uh, yeah,” George said. George knew he was tanking this. He was never good at this kind of stuff. Izzie was always better at this, talking to people.</p>
<p>“What was it like? Facing you own morality?”</p>
<p>“Uh….” George said. “Kinda boring, actually. I already did that when I was ran over by a bus. This time was just kinda…redundant you know, like been here, done that.”</p>
<p>The doctor opened the binder and looked at something and raised a brow.</p>
<p>“You were ran over by a bus?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” George said. The director looked skeptical. “Do you-you not believe me? Because it happened. You can ask around.”</p>
<p>The director still didn’t look convinced but just turned a page in his binder.</p>
<p>“What was going through your head?” the director asked. “When it happened? When you saw the shooter?”</p>
<p>George blinked and hesitated. He was a doctor, and he was supposed to believe in the power of medicine. He was supposed to think of just science. But when he needed it most, a higher power – God, was all he could think about. Pleading and hoping and praying to a God that the patients would be safe. That they would be okay.</p>
<p>He almost didn’t want to admit it.</p>
<p>But he swallowed and said, “All I could think about was God. About how much I believed in that moment. About how I wanted Him to keep the patients safe. And I hadn’t given that much thought in a long time.”</p>
<p>The director frowned and motioned for the camera guy to turn off the lights.</p>
<p>“This one’s a dud.”</p>
<p>George blinked, offended. “I got hit by a bus and shot! How am I a dud?!”</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“It was nice that you came,” April said. George and April walked along the path in front of April’s apartment building. George scratched the back of his neck and smiled. They had been avoiding April going inside for the past half an hour, just walking back and forth talking.</p>
<p>“Well, uh, since everything happened with the shooting, I just –” George swallowed. “I just wanted to have faith again, you know.”</p>
<p>April nodded. “It’s a good place to start, George, if you want to really to.” April looked up at him, not quiet able to smile. “If you want to come again next week, to, uh, bible study, you can.”</p>
<p>George smiled. “I’d like that.”</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>George laid back on the hotel bed, watching the ceiling fan twirl round and round. April and Jackson sat on the edge of bed, information packet and review sheets spread in front of them. Meredith and Cristina sat on the other one with Alex, all of them in varying areas of states of study, sick, and worry.</p>
<p>The boards were tomorrow, and everything was just too much, and too overwhelming. He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up tomorrow – he had crammed so much information in his brain he wasn’t sure there was room for anything else.</p>
<p>“So there’s a middle age patient with –” Jackson started, but George cut him off with a small pat on the arm.</p>
<p>“You finish that sentence Jackson and I personally will get Alex to kick your ass,” George said. Alex looked up, gave an offended sound, and looked down at his phone again to text someone. “I am board-reviewed out. There is nothing left to do but pray and sleep.”</p>
<p>And then, suddenly, April was crying.</p>
<p>“April?” George asked, sitting up. “April, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>Jackson looked at her, concerned, and put a hand on her shoulder. George scooted up and sat next to her and wrapped her into a side hug, but she just kept crying.</p>
<p>“I-it’s ju-just this-this all became-came so re-real,” April said,”An-and I don’t know-know if I’m-I’m re-ready for everything to change! Cristina is go-gonna leave! And Meredith, and you and me and all of us!”</p>
<p>Meredith then promptly threw up, and George supposed this was in line with how this crew would do the boards. Meredith ran off with the trash can she puked into and Cristina followed after her, and George sighed and just pulled April closer.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“I have got to pee!” April said, running off the bus. George rolled his eyes and she tossed him her bag to hold and hurried into the hospital. Cristina was holding her phone up to the sky and Meredith was following after her, both squawking about the results of the boards.</p>
<p>“They should be out by now,” Cristina said. Everyone was looking at their phones, but since George’s hands were both taken by bags he was stuck looking over his friend’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Try refreshing!” George said, and Cristina bit back with a “I am!”</p>
<p>Meredith hit the refresh button on her phone one more time, and then her face lit up.</p>
<p>“I have them! The results, they’re here!” Meredith looked down the list on her phone and smiled.</p>
<p>“I passed!” Meredith said, and Cristina plucked the phone out of her hands to see the list and for a rare moment, Cristina Yang was happy.</p>
<p>“I passed!” Cristina kept reading and turned on all of them, not looking away from the phone. “And Jackson and Alex and George!”</p>
<p>George almost dropped the bags from how excited he was. He was board-certified – he was almost not a resident! He had a job waiting for him in Boston, and a life ready to start. It seemed like a million years ago he was the intern who couldn’t pass his exam.</p>
<p>(He tried not to wonder where Izzie would be if she lived.)</p>
<p>“Oh, God is good!” George said, trrying his hardest to drop the bags. Crisitna was almost jumping up and down, and Alex and Jackson were celebrating by trying to get them all across the street to Joe’s for drinks. April came outside and watched all of this happening, blinking and frowning.</p>
<p>“Whoa, what –“</p>
<p>“We passed!” Cristina said. “And you did do! Look!” Cristina shoved Meredith’s phone into April’s face and then April was like them. Jumping and screaming and excited. She rushed over to George and wrapped him in a hug, making him drop all the bags.</p>
<p>“We did it!” April said, looking up at George with wide eyes and her kind smile and –</p>
<p>And before he realized what he was doing, he was kissing her. It was sweet and wonderful and he didn’t know why he picked now of all times he didn’t know, but it also felt so right in a way beyond words. He pulled back and April’s face was sketched with confusion that soon turned to joy.</p>
<p>“Well, that’s one way to celebrate,” Jackson finally drawled, and then the others soon returned to their own little celebrations. George blinked and tried to step back.</p>
<p>“April, I’m – I shouldn’t have –” April pulled him closer.</p>
<p>“Shut up George,” April said. And then she reached up to kiss him.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“George, get up,” he heard Cristina say, and he blinked once, twice, three, times. His back hurt, everything hurt really, and he sat up. All around him were trees and birds and bugs, and metal in scorching piles.</p>
<p>He was still disoriented, but he could hear someone screaming close by. It was a familiar scream, one of pain and indescribable helplessness, he heard in trauma patients all the time. Cristina was walking around, Meredith standing in the field covered with pine needles and a broken plane, looking around in amazement.</p>
<p>“George, get up,” Cristina said. “You survived a bus you should be used to this!”</p>
<p>“Wh-what happened?” George asked. Cristina shot him a withering look as she began looking through the wreckage around them.</p>
<p>“The plane crashed, what do you think happened?” Cristina said. “Will you shut up?!” Cristina wiped around to where the scream was coming form, and then it suddenly stopped. Cristina turned back to George and roughly pulled him to his feet.</p>
<p>“Look, we gotta find Derek and Lexie and Mark,” Cristina said, “so Meredith and you, come with me.” George, who was still not completely sure what the hell was happening and just wanted to go back to sleep, just started to walk forward to follow Cristina.</p>
<p>Eight days later, when they were found, George was painfully aware what the hell happened. Lexie was dead. And the world was falling apart right in front of him.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>George sat at the board table, trying his hardest not to think about how he got here. About the death and pain and lawsuits, and just tried to focus on that the hospital was okay. The hospital was going to not be run like a business who didn’t care at all about patients.</p>
<p>So he straightened his lab coat and sat.</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“What do you mean you don’t know?” April said, arms crossed. George ran his hand through his hair and tried not to explode.</p>
<p>“I mean I don’t know!” George said. April growled under her breath and threw herself down on her couch, sending him a scathing look underneath her eyelashes.</p>
<p>“Don’t know what?” April said. “Don’t know if you want to get married? It’s simple, either you do or you don’t!”</p>
<p>George sucked in a breath and shut his eyes. George had thought that once, back before he married Callie. Getting married was not decision he could make on a whim, not a decision he would ever make lightly again. Last time, he had done that and broken Callie’s heart. And though she still loved her, though in a different way, he knew a part of her had yet to forgive him for what he had done. He wasn’t sure he should.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to hurt you April,” George said softly. April was put off-guard by his shift in emotion and she was silent. “My last marriage ended because I was stupid and selfish and I hurt her, I hurt her in a way I didn’t know I capable of. And it was because I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to marry her, even though I tried to convince myself I was. I cheated on her, April, and I-I’m scared I’m going to hurt you the same way. And I don’t want to.”</p>
<p>George didn’t want anything to hurt April. She was the one good light that had been able to follow him through it all – after the bus, her smiling face had walked in to his life. After the shooting, they were there to lean on each other after everything that happened. April had sat there with him after the plane crash, letting him heal and come to terms in his own time. April’s such firm belief in God had brought him back to that, back to a relationship with Christ. She had given him everything.</p>
<p>And he couldn’t repay that by rushing into a marriage that would only ruin them.</p>
<p>April sat in stunned silence before she laughed once and stood.</p>
<p>“George, I love you,” April said. “And-and I don’t want to make you do this, if you’re not ready, but just know I’m not Callie. And you’re not the man you were back then. Things are different, <em>you’re </em>different. I know marriage is hard. I know it changes people, but I also have to believe that we will make it through if we get married.” April gave him a coy smile and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Besides, if you hurt me, I’ll just send Jackson to beat you up.”</p>
<p>George laughed and embraced her back.</p>
<p>“I’m not saying we get married tomorrow,” April said. “But just…someday.”</p>
<p>“Someday?” George asked. April smiled and kissed his cheek.</p>
<p>“Someday.”</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>George walked alongside Alex, who was talking a mile a minute.</p>
<p>“We have a child, five minutes out,” Alex said, clicking away on the iPad rapidly. George picked up two paper robes, handing out to Alex who took it without looking. “They got into a fight with the neighbor’s dog, we aren’t sure the extent of the damage yet but most likely we’re looking at least some broken bones.”</p>
<p>“We’ll need to check for internal bleeding,” George said, tying the back of the robe. “I’ll send up to radiology, let them know we’re coming soon.” Alex nodded and they both reached for plastic gloves, Alex leaving the iPad behind at the nurse’s station.</p>
<p>The walked out of the doors and there was a moment of calm before the storm.</p>
<p>“So, you and Kepner aren’t getting married?” Alex asked, fitting the glove tighter on his hand.</p>
<p>“Oh, uh, yeah,” George said. He bit back a smile. “Yeah, we are.” George tied the middle part of the paper robe. “You and Jo are getting pretty serious, aren’t you?”</p>
<p>Alex looked anywhere but at George. “Um, I guess.”</p>
<p>Alex seemed off-put and George breathed a deep sigh. He knew what this was. Alex had always been so cautious since Izzie died. The closest he had come to a real relationship was a brief fling with Lexi, and then—well, Lexi had died to, but they weren’t in love at the time. Izzie was still there, in Alex, and Alex was scared if he loved again then she would be gone.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, you know?” George said. “To love Jo. Izzie would want you to.”</p>
<p>Alex was silent, and then finally looked at George. Alex finally just scoffed and looked up at the sky. In the distance, George could hear the sirens of the ambulance.</p>
<p>“Oh man, George, didn’t you think we’d be here, friends when we were interns?”</p>
<p>George rolled his eyes and the ambulance came to a screeching halt in front of them.</p>
<p>“No, to be honest, I was pretty sure you were going to have killed me by now.”</p>
<p>“Why would I have killed you?”</p>
<p>“Intern you would have found a reason.”</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“George O’Malley, you are dead to me!” April screamed, and George held her hand tightly and tried not to take the words personally. He knew childbirth was painful, women often said stuff they didn’t mean. At least, he hoped she didn’t mean it.</p>
<p>“It’s okay April, it’s okay –”</p>
<p>“Shut up!”</p>
<p>So he did. The obstetrician was trying to be helpful, sitting at the edge of the table and trying to get April to breathe.</p>
<p>“Okay April, this is it, okay,” they said, though it wasn’t a question. “I’m gonna need you to push for me, okay?”</p>
<p>April nodded weakly and let a scream tear through her body as she tried her hardest to push out the baby. George had never truly appreciated how the strength his wife had, but now he knew, he married the strongest woman he would ever know.</p>
<p>“April, we’re almost there,” George whispered to her, “you’re doing great.”</p>
<p>“Okay, I think one more and we’ll be there,” the doctor told them, and George griped April’s hands tight. April grimaced and shut her eyes, but then opened her eyes and with the strength of all the women who had come before her pushed.</p>
<p>And then she fell back onto the bed, relief like none he had seen before on her face. A cry filled the air and George released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.</p>
<p>“It’s a girl,” the doctor said, and wrapped it in cloth. George delicately took it and looked down at the baby—their baby – and smiled. He walked over to April, who was sitting anxiously and she took the baby into her arms and April cried so fully George was sure she would run out of them.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry April, but we’re not quite done yet, we’ve still got the placenta and afterbirth,” the doctor said gently, “and then we’ll be good to go.”</p>
<p>*~*</p>
<p>“Uncle Jackson!” Izzie said, running up to her godfather and reaching for him to pick her up. Jackson laughed as he did as his godfather asked and she hugged him around the neck. Jackson took a large, overdramatic smell.</p>
<p>“Why is it that you smell like chocolate?” Jackson asked. Izzy giggled and George stirred the mixing bowl in front of him.</p>
<p>“I’ve been helping Daddy made brownies!” Izzie said. George filled the waiting baking pan with the brownie mixture and started to scrap the last of it out with a spoon.</p>
<p>“Oh really?” Jackson asked, walking over to the island in the kitchen. “And why is that?”</p>
<p>“Because it’s Mommy’s birthday!” Izzie said. “And Mommy loves brownies!”</p>
<p>“That’s right,” George said. He finished scraping the bowl and held out the spoon to Izzie. “And I seem to remember I promised my number one helper could lick the leftover spoon?”</p>
<p>Jackson set his goddaughter down in one of the chairs at the island as Izzie began licking the spoon eagerly. George turned to set the brownies in the oven and Jackson picked up an apple from the fruit bowl in the center.</p>
<p>“Does April suspect anything?” George asked. Jackson shook his head and took a bite out of the apple.</p>
<p>“Nope,” Jackson said. “Meredith and Maggie are distracting her, I think Meredith said something about massive cleaning session? I don’t know. Alex is getting all the kids so Izzie here won’t be alone.”</p>
<p>George wiped his hands on a dishtowel.</p>
<p>“Okay, good,” George said. He checked his watch. “Meredith is not good at distractions so we have about forty-five minutes.” Jackson nodded and tossed an eye over to the living room, visible through the small, doorless way from the side of the kitchen. All the decorations were already set up, including a large banner reading <em>Happy Birthday</em>.</p>
<p>There came a knock at the door and George hurried to answer it, giving Jackson clearly meant to communicate to watch Izzie. At the door was Jo, who was brandishing wine, which earned her an amused look especially since the pregnant woman clearly couldn’t drink it.</p>
<p>From there, all their friends began to appear in small spurts. Webber, Bailey, and Ben had arrived all together and then positioned themselves on the couch, and Amelia made claim in the kitchen, wear she say braiding Izzie’s hair in twin braids. Owen and Teddy had arrived and began talking shop with Jackson in the far corner of the living room.</p>
<p>George was just getting the brownies perfectly set on the serving platter when Arizona Robbins herself, Izzie’s godmother, strolled through the door. Sofia and Callie were soon to follow her, and then Sofia and Izzie ran off to go set up Izzie’s playhouse with the dolls Sofia had brought with her from New York.</p>
<p>“Arizona!” George said, giving her a big hug. “I’m so glad you could make it.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Arizona said. “We’ve been meaning to come back and visit forever.”</p>
<p>Callie smiled and nibbled one of the celery sticks. “This was just what finally convinced us to get on the plane.”</p>
<p>“Well regardless, you’re here now, and I know April will be so glad to see you,” George said. Alex came strolling in a moment later, the gaggle of kids that they had acquired over the years following behind him. Seriously, who let them have kids? George still felt like a kid himself most of the time.</p>
<p>The kids all quickly disappeared off to their parents or to play with Sofia and Izzie.</p>
<p>Alex also had a laptop and was trying desperately to connect it to their WiFi.</p>
<p>“Dude, you have the worst WiFi,” Alex said. “Like, how am I supposed to get Cristina up on this thing?”</p>
<p>“Have you tried FaceTiming on your phone?” Amelia asked, bouncing two-year old Scout on her knee.</p>
<p>“Yeah, see, I’m not trying to walk around with Cristina on my phone all night,” Alex said. George sighed.</p>
<p>“The new password is ELSA,” George said. Alex looked at him with a raised brow. “Izzie watches a lot of <em>Frozen, </em>okay, all that’s in our heads is surgery and ‘Let it Go’.” Alex, satisfied by this, began to work on the computer again.</p>
<p>George’s phone dinged, and he smiled at the message.</p>
<p>“Okay, everybody hide!” George called, running into the living room. With a dim of the lights anda few shushes they found their places as the door opened.</p>
<p>“Meredith, I still don’t understand why you decided we needed to clean out the attendings lounge fridge,” April was saying as she entered, “I cleaned just last we-“</p>
<p>The lights switched on and everyone burst out, yelling “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”</p>
<p>April stared at all of them, slack-jawed and surprised, before stepping towards them, Maggie pushing her forward.</p>
<p>“You all threw me a surprise party?” April asked, looking around is amazement. “This is – wow, thank you all so much!”</p>
<p>“Well, we had to do something for our favorite trauma surgeon,” Meredith said. Owen coughed from the back of the room and George rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>“Let April be the favorite on her birthday Owen,” George said. April walked over to he was standing with Izzie and smiled, wrapping the two of them in a hug. “I have a feeling you two were behind this.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes, in case you don’t like it,” George said. “Then it’s all Izzie.”</p>
<p>Izzie laughed. “Daddy!”</p>
<p>George looked down at her innocently. “What?”</p>
<p>April rubbed Izzie’s gently and pulled her closer to her. “Regardless, thank you.”</p>
<p>April looked at out the bevy of guests, and said, “Well, go ahead, don’t just stare at me.”</p>
<p>There was a collective laugh before the soft hum of conversation that had permeated before they arrived returned. April looked at her husband sincerely and reached up to kiss him.</p>
<p>“Seriously, thank you,” April said. “You didn’t have to do all this.”</p>
<p>“Well, I wanted to give you the moon,” George said, “but the shipping was just too much.”</p>
<p>April rolled her eyes and laughed, and Izzie jumped up and down excitedly.</p>
<p>“Mommy, me and Daddy made your favorite! Brownies!” Izzie exclaimed and April took Izzie’s hand.</p>
<p>“Well, why don’t you show me where these brownies are?” April asked. “I could use some.”</p>
<p>Izzie giggled and lead April into the kitchen. George watched them and felt a sense of peace he hadn’t once thought he would feel. This was his life – a surgeon, a husband, a father, living a normal life. Living a life that he wasn’t sure he would ever get the day he stepped in front of that bus. For the first time in years he thought back to that elevator, at the way Izzie, his best friend in the whole world, had looked at him, and he was never more glad he didn’t step on that elevator.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>long live all the mountains we moved<br/>
i had the time of my life<br/>
fighting dragons with you<br/>
i was screaming, "long live the look on your face"<br/>
and bring on all the pretenders<br/>
one day we will be remembered</em>
</p>
<p>`` “long live”; taylor swift</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>do people still read Grey's Anatomy fanfiction? I sure hope so.<br/>I wrote this on a backdrop of Grey's Anatomy binge-watching, and I drank some 'I MISS GEORGE' Juice. I have only watched up to Season 12, but I have some general idea of who's around right now for this final scene but I'm not a 100% on everything so please be nice.<br/>Some notes:<br/>I do know that Jo/Alex broke up last season, but since Izzie died the reason why they did never existed, so Alex and Jo would theoretically still be married.<br/>I also had April pass her boards with everyone else because her and Jackson never had s*x before the exams, so she wasn't having that stress to throw her off.<br/>I didn't dive deep into George's potential relationship with everyone, just because this is just snippets into the life he could have lead, and I didn't think his acquaintance ship with Mark Sloan needed too much attention.<br/>I personally find George to be someone who might fall out of religious faith at some point but become convicted later in life, hence why I had the small subplot of him becoming a Christian again.</p>
<p>Questions, comments, or concerns, let me know! Have a blessed day!<br/>-- PrincessChess</p></blockquote></div></div>
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